Fully one half of the teams in the MAC have extended their season with play in one tournament or another. Six of the 12 teams will be able to keep playing for at least one more game...let's see who.
OU, as you know, is in the NCAA Tourney and drew Michigan. Obviously, Michigan should be favored but I do think they are overrated by a little and OU could have gotten a worse draw with a 13 seed. They are not a physical team, which I think is always a break for a MAC team. They will play Friday in Nashville at a team which is being kept secret.
Akron gets the NIT, based on its regular season championship. The best thing that ever happened to the NIT was having two tournaments come in beneath it. Actually doesn't look as bad now. Akron will play Northwestern in Evanston. That game will be tomorrow at 9, and will be nationally televised. If Akron is playing well, they are certainly capable of winning that game. Northwestern also plays a non-physical style. However, Akron limped home pretty bad, and I always worry that the players who have been counting on being in the Big Dance since February will not be able to get up for this one. Of course, that could apply to Northwestern, too.
As mentioned yesterday, BG will play at Oakland on Wednesday at 7 pm. Oakland was only 17-15 this year in the Summit and lost 5 times at home. Their RPI is slightly higher than BG's and while they should be favored on their floor, you have to think that this one could actually be winnable.
UT also made post-season. They host McNeese State tomorrow night. McNeese is also barely over .500 (and below .500 in D1 games, they had 3 non-D1 wins), but has a much higher RPI than Toledo, who had an even softer non-conference schedule. McNeese finished 4th in the Southland, lost 5-7 coming home. This game is very winnable for the Rockets.
Buffalo is playing at American University. This is a little tougher assignment. Buffalo has a much higher RPI, but American was 20-11 on the year and they are playing at home, where they were 13-1. This one has the potential to be a really good game. (Wednesday, 7:30)
Finally, Kent is also in the CIT, playing South Carolina-Upstate. This game is similar and could be interesting. Kent has an RPI of 108, but Upstate's is 142. They were 20-11. (They are the Spartans). They also only lost one home game. This game is Thursday at 7 pm. Kent should really win this one.
Anyway, college basketball has become like college football--you don't need a great record to make some kind of post-season play. Obviously, we'll all be watching for OU on Friday....a Big Dance win is great for the conference's prestige and pocketbook. Beyond that, if someone can make a run in one of the minor tournaments, why not?
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